View Photos of the 2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 Roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster exterior and interior photos.
Four remains a poor substitute for eight. There's a lot to like with the Mercedes-AMG SL43, such as its drop-dead gorgeous aesthetics and a chassis that's more than sprightly enough for back-road antics. But the turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood isn't as excited to play along.
The new Mercedes-AMG SL lineup shares its underpinnings with the just-launched GT sports car, a platform that feels rigid whether the SL's top is up or down. The SL was engineered and developed by AMG.
The SL lineup includes the base-level SL43, and V-8-powered SL55 and SL63, which develop 469 horsepower and 577 horses, respectively. The company has just announced a hybrid version of the SL63 that will have 805 horsepower.
The previous SL convertible had a folding hardtop, but AMG decided on a soft fabric top for the new generation that packages more compactly and enables a more svelte tail. The lighter fabric top also lowers the car's center of gravity.
The SL43 wields AMG's M139 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which makes 375 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque.
The M139 engine is the first to use Formula 1-derived turbocharger technology consisting of a 48-volt electric motor integral with the turbocharger shaft. The setup is designed to spin up the turbo quickly at low rpm when the engine isn't producing enough exhaust flow to create significant boost.
Despite the advanced turbo tech, there's still significant low-rpm lag when the nine-speed automatic upshifts early in Comfort mode. The engine's low-rpm sound is an uncouth mooing that booms through the cabin and is particularly loud at idle.
The SL43's ride-and-handling balance is superb, a mix of firm but still-comfortable body motions and sharp responses to the helm. It's equally at home on twisty roads and long-haul drives.
The SLs are luxurious grand tourers as much as they are sports cars. The cabin of the 43 is handsomely styled and appointed in top-grade materials. The 11.9-inch infotainment screen features crisply rendered graphics and a multi-layered menu structure that's complex but learnable over time.
The fabric soft top nestles into place without disturbing the SL's muscular lines and can be opened and closed at up to 37 mph.
Keep going to check out even more pictures of the 2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster.
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 roadster
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